KUCHING: Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, and his wife Toh Puan Datuk Patinggi Fauziah Mohd Sanusi are expected to attend the 11th Sarawak Literary Awards ceremony, which will take place at the Dewan Santapan, Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Complex.
The ceremony, starting at 7 pm will be held on Octo 30.
This was confirmed by the chairman of the 11th Sarawak Literary Awards Evaluation Panel, Datuk Dr Adi Badiozaman Tuah, who emphasised the event as a testament to the Sarawak government’s recognition of those involved in the literary world.
“Following discussions and four meetings over a two-month evaluation period, the panel of judges agreed to proceed and recommended to the Sarawak government the recipients of the 11th Sarawak Literary Awards.
“As I mentioned earlier, Head of State will be officiating at the ceremony,” he said during a press conference for the 11th Sarawak Literary Awards at Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) Sarawak here, today.
He said the award ceremony, fully funded by the Sarawak government, is being reinstated after almost seven years, with the last event held in 2018.
He explained that the awards are a clear sign that Sarawak is not lagging in appreciating the contributions of local writers, while also aligning with the agenda of the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030.
“This is a clear manifestation of the recognition given by the Sarawak government to any individual contributing to the development of the literary world.
“I represent the secretariat entrusted with organising the 11th Sarawak Literary Awards and also the panel members responsible for selecting the recipients.
“As recognition for all winners, an official award ceremony will be held to present the awards to the winners,” he said.
Earlier, he said that the secretariat committee had received 42 candidates for the contested categories.
A total of nine individuals have been recognised and listed as award recipients in eight categories, as confirmed by the panel members.
Dr Patdeli Abang Muhi leads the list as the recipient of the 6th Sarawak Literary Award, followed by Jantan Umbat with the Special Language and Literature Award.
The third award, the Sarawak Writer Award by Genre (Poetry), was won by Abang Median Abang Said, while both the Sarawak Writer Award by Genre (Short Story) and Sarawak Writer Award by Genre (Novel) were awarded to Jaya Ramba.
Dr Dilah Tuah was named the recipient of the Sarawak Writer Award by Genre (Critical Essay), while the Sarawak Writer Award by Language Category (Iban Language) was awarded to Jantan Umbat.
Meanwhile, Lokman Hakim Abdul Wahid and Frankie Latit were both awarded the Sarawak Emerging Writer Award.
The Sarawak Literary Awards, formerly known as the Sarawak State Literary Awards (ASNS), began in 1994.
Among those present at the press conference were board members and evaluation panel of the 11th Sarawak Literary Awards Datuk Dr Jeniri Amir, and secretary of the 11th Sarawak Literary Awards Abang Haliman Abang Julai.
